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The Dairyman JULY 2011 21
NEWS
THE passionate and energetic 2011 National Dairy
Industry Trainee of the Year, Ben Smith, has his
eye firmly on the future. A graduate of both busi-
ness and farming studies, Ben has made more progress
in his two years in the industry than many make in a decade.
Ben, who lives with wife Chloe and daughter Madisyn, is a farm
assistant on a 180ha dairy farm near Takapau, Hawkes Bay. He milks
520 predominantly cross-bred cows in a 40-a-side herringbone dairy.
He is employed by 2010 New Zealand farm managers of the year
Carwyn and Michelle Monteith.
Ben said it had been a thrill to represent Hawkes Bay-Wairarapa at
the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards national finals on May 14
in Queenstown.
"It's an area of the country not heavily known for dairy, but we
punch above our weight," he said.
For the judging, Ben was required to submit a three-minute DVD
about himself, participate in a dairy challenge and have a 15-minute
interview with judges who had watched the DVD.
Ben said the national awards dinner had been enjoyable, if nerve
wracking, waiting for the announcement of the winners.
"I was definitely nervous," he said. "For me it was an awesome end
to a phenomenal week.
"The dairy trainees of the year became quite a tight group and great
friends after nearly a week together, so we went in thinking we'd be
happy whoever won as it'd be our friend winning.
"I didn't know what to expect; I was hopeful; I was in to win, but
with the calibre of everyone else I wasn't sure what would happen."
Judge Kerry Lucas-Candy said Ben had huge passion and energy
for the dairy industry.
"He was a real standout and has a good handle on where he is
going," the judge said. "He is going to be someone that a lot of peo-
ple coming into the industry will look up to."
For Ben, one of the best things about the national
final was the networking opportunities.
"There were enormous opportunities to network and
gain wisdom from people within different categories, from managers
to sharemilkers," he said.
"The industry leaders I met will be valuable contacts as I progress
through the industry.
"It's a great opportunity to learn from people.
"Also, the feedback you receive throughout the whole process
enables you to test yourself against like-minded individuals."
From city to on-farm study
BEN grew up in Wellington and at 13 moved to Hawkes Bay with
his family for a lifestyle change. Fond memories of holidays on
his uncle's sheep and beef farm helped Ben decide on a career
in farming after he completed a three-year business degree at Victoria
University in Wellington.
Ben spent one-and-a-half years working on a sheep and beef farm
before he went dairying.
He is an advocate of upskilling through training and is completing
his National Certificate in Agriculture, Dairy Farming, Level 4,
through Agriculture ITO (AgITO).
"For me, after doing a degree, the Level 4 qualification is giving
me a firm grounding in on-farm knowledge and the theory behind the
practical work I'm doing on farm," Ben said.
"AgITO is an asset to the industry; it's not used enough. It gave me
a broad grounding in the theory side so I can perform better on farm."
• continued page 22
By ANNE BOSWELL
Dairy trainee winner leaps ahead in industry
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